Currently sitting at the top of the box office in both the UK and US, Bob Marley: One Love was shot in and around London in 2023.
But while the main production was taking place in the UK and Jamaica, the film’s editor Pamela Martin spent most of her time working on the project in Los Angeles.
Martin worked with Hula Post which provided both specially built rooms at its West Los Angeles location and the technology she needed.
“Pam has worked with us on several projects over the years, most recently the award-winning King Richard, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green,” explains Joel Ouano, manager of technical operations at Hula Post.
Martin based herself and her team at Hula Post for around 12 months, working in a suite that was built-out for her several years before.
“Her first assistant editor Staci Pontius, who works with Pam on most all her projects, assisted us in creating their workflow prior to the start of production,” explains Ouano. “We set up four Avids with 40TB of shared storage and a dailies capture station for Pam and her team that included Staci, second assistant editor Vinnie DeRamus and VFX editor Asher Pink.
“In Pam’s room, we also set up a Sony 4K Digital Projector and an 8’ x 10’ screen. Additionally, we provided her with a 65-inch 4K OLED monitor and 5.1 sound system.”
When Martin went to Jamaica for that part of the shoot, Hula Post supported her with a Jump Desktop account that enabled her to access the system back in Los Angeles.
“Phase 3 Productions there provided an editing room with monitors and speaker,” adds Ouano “Also, on multiple occasions, we set up another Avid near the mixing stage at 424 Post in the Hollywood Hills. From the temp mix stage, she could ‘jump’ into the server in WLA.”
Hula Post also provided support for a second editor Nick Houy, first in New York and then in WLA for a couple of weeks.
The 4K projector and screen were purchased specifically for Martin to use on Bob Marley: One Love. “Pam wanted more of a cinematic experience which the projector gave her when playing back the cut,” explains Ouano.
“Providing her with a 5.1 sound set up since this was a musically oriented movie, made the project different to the stereo playback she’s had in the past.”
Dealing with a project that was filmed in London and Jamaica and edited in LA, Jamaica and New York can throw up major security concerns. But Ouano stresses Hula Post has stringent security measures in all its locations in Los Angeles. “We must adhere to the specifications that the studios require,” he continues.
“The location she worked out of in West LA is a large building of offices with miscellaneous businesses, so we built our suite out to be fully self-contained. We keep the servers inside there but in a separate secured area. The building itself is secure but we provide our own additional security with cameras and locking systems.”
Ouano describes working on Bob Marley: One Love as “pretty cut and dried” as the team at Hula Post has worked with Martin on many features and so knows what she needs. “If there was a challenge, I’d say it was just making sure that all the tech is working properly and because we installed more of that in terms of the project, the 5.1 and the OLED, Pam had a lot of moving parts outside the ordinary, so we had to be vigilant in making sure it all worked seamlessly.”
